


Reborn

by Kudalyn



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: 8 years after the ceremonial battle, M/M, Reincarnation, atem is reincarnated and yugi feels guilty the animated series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 09:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8280923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kudalyn/pseuds/Kudalyn
Summary: Yugi has moved on. Really, he has. Years have passed and everyone is well on their lives paths, and things are going well. Really.Small drabble idea of an AU hashed out with toxicosis MONTHS ago, was suddenly bitten by the urge to work on it. Was hoping to keep it to a oneshot, but who knows.Crossposted to my tumblr.





	

 It’s hot, and dusty, and there’s sand in Yugi’s socks, but all those things feel like home as he wanders through the marketplace. Knowing he stands out with his pale skin, but familiar enough that stallkeepers recognize him on sight, beckon him over joyfully and ask how he’s been, how his grandfather’s health has been, offer him their latest deals.

It’s been 8 years since the first time he ever stepped foot on the shifting Egyptian sands, and you’d be hard pressed to keep him from the country since then. Emotional ties kept the bond strong, the first few years were tough, but it all soothed with time.

The heat became comforting instead of overbearing, the wide smiles of the locals were familiar instead of intimidating. Yugi’d taken to the Egyptian land desperately ever since Atem’s passing, and found himself visiting often over the years, between school, holidays, tournaments, his gaming career.

If a tournament was held on the same continent, you’d find him there. If it wasn’t - well, you’d still find him there. His grandpa often joked that Yugi was starting to spend more time away from home than he even did - though that was said with a grain of truth - his grandfather was getting on in years, and couldn’t risk travelling as often as he used to. He needed to be near his doctors.

Yugi still brought his grandfather with him on his trips as often as he could, having long since embraced the Mutou continent-hopping genes. He still visited his friends too, and they him - Anzu was doing well in America, her dancing career sounded like it was morphing into her owning her own dance studio. Jou still did tournaments as well, the two of them often traveled together, but he’d gotten a few jobs as a dealer at some high-end casinos, and seemed to be enjoying it thoroughly. His luck was always one of his best assets, along with his welcoming attitude.

Honda was working with motorcycles when he wasn’t working with pets - he still couldn’t decide if he wanted to run an animal shelter or a mechanic’s shop. Both seemed to suit him. Otogi’s latest game design was running strong, and he had even gotten a good (and surprising) partnership with Kaiba Corp to expand the game overseas. Ryou ended up moving back to England for the most part, but still visited the others as often as he could - keeping tabs on the supernatural around the world. He swore he had taken the best photograph of Nessie on record just last year.

After saying goodbye to yet another old acquaintance, promising to visit his family for dinner as soon as he could, he moved on, eyes scouring the stalls around him but maintaining an uninterested air. If it was one thing he’d learned, it was to refrain from appearing too interested. Many of these hawkers were much more experienced than he was at reading body language, and knew when and where to pounce to make a sale.

A mancala board caught his eye - though it looked a little too new to be the ‘authentic relic’ that the stallkeeper swore up and down that it was. The whole board was a little too neat, felt like it was made of newer materials.

Yugi tuned out the tall tale the stallkeeper was spinning in front of him with practiced ease, one ear kept open while he turned the board over in his hands, inspecting the craftsmanship. It may not be authentic, but it might be a nice souvenir for -

_“Aibou...”_

Yugi froze. His grip turned white-knuckled on the mancala board and he had to hastily put it down before he cracked it in half. The stallkeeper had thankfully moved on to another more promising customer, and missed Yugi’s already pale complexion turning sheet white.

Standing in the shade of the cloth-covered stall, he shivered as cold sweat rolled down the back of his neck, leaving tracks in the dust that settled in the fine hairs there.

_It couldn’t be..._

He’d thought he was long past hearing the echoes of his once-partner in his head. It had taken some time to get used to the sudden overwhelming silence in his heart, where once he had taken for granted the comforting presence of another soul pulsing close beside his own. It had taken Yugi many months to relearn how to sleep alone in his bed. 

Hands grasping shakily at the splintered wood of the stall, he slowly turned, forcing his breathing to calm as he prepared yet another self-beration of himself, words ready to scold himself for being unable to let go of the past after so long. 

The words utterly died on his tongue as his eyes met crimson. 

Across the street from him, half-hiding in the shade of an alleyway and looking as utterly shell-shocked and displaced as he felt, was a young boy. He couldn’t be more than seven or eight years old, his small, tan hands working knots into his oversized shirt. 

But most striking was the wild, spiky hair that stood in all directions, gold piercing deepest sanguine locks, framing wide, crimson eyes. 

They stared at each other in silence for some moments, the marketplace utterly ignorant of the exchange between the two males. Yugi blinked a few times, as if to dispel the small, dusty illusion before him, but the boy stayed where he stood, hands wringing the cloth ever more frantically the longer Yugi went without speaking. 

Yugi found he couldn’t have possibly spoken if he had even tried. Words were meaningless to him, as if he had forgotten how to speak he was so struck at the sight before him. He dared not hope - even entertain the thought, but his heart thundered in his chest all the same with frightened anticipation. 

The boy took a few shuddering steps forward, but was forced to jump back into the shadows as a cart rumbled by, piled high with carpets. When the dust settled, Yugi’s heart jumped into his throat at the sight of the boy’s eyes beginning to water up in desperation, in fright, glittering like blood jewels. 

The boy’s throat worked over, swallowing once, twice, before opening his mouth. 

“Yugi…” 

The name was said so quietly, so frightened, but oh so achingly familiar despite the youthful tone, that Yugi’s stupor was shattered. 

He strode forward, the boy’s eyes widening impossibly as Yugi towered over him in height as Yugi placed a hand onto his shoulder and tugged him further into the alleyway, away from prying eyes. Yugi knew he had to be careful about his actions, particularly in such a country he was in, but he could barely find it in himself to care as he knelt in the dirt in front of the boy, whom was currently blinking furiously as if trying to dry his eyes. 

Yugi kept from saying anything, tongue glued to the roof of his mouth, but his eyes seemed to ask all the questions for him, for the boy’s expression crumbled, tears running unhindered down dusty cheeks. 

“I’m sorry!” was the first words the young boy said to him. “I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to find you - I’m - I’m trying so hard, but I’m a kid - I’m just a kid right now! I hate it so much, I’ve missed you so much, Aibou, but nobody understands, I can’t just tell them everything, nobody’d believe me, but I’ve been trying so hard - “ 

The boy’s waterfall of words was suddenly cut off with a gasp when Yugi suddenly tugged him forward, the boy’s crushing grip transferring from his own shirt to Yugi’s own.   

Yugi buried his hand in the boy’s achingly familiar locks, and the scent of sand, sweat and fennel suddenly flooded his senses. The last time he had smelled such a scent was when his mou hitori no boku wasn’t his other self anymore, walking into the light with gold glittering upon his brow and the smell he left behind had branded itself into Yugi’s memory. 

“It’s you.” Was all Yugi could choke out, and the small, reborn Atem broke down in sobs into Yugi’s shirt, tucking his face in Yugi’s neck and smearing hot tears against his skin. 

The two knelt there in the sand, utterly forgetting the world around them as they just tried to hold each other together in the tide of their emotions. They may not be of one body anymore, but they could obviously still be of one mind as they rode and calmed their thoughts together, Yugi cradling the much smaller Atem against him as they sat in the shade between buildings. 

Eventually Yugi shifted himself to sit on the ground, back pressed into the rough stone behind him, and when Atem almost mindlessly crawled into his lap to keep as close to his partner as possible, Yugi couldn’t even bring himself to mind. 

“How?” Yugi said quietly, and Atem had to take a few shuddering breaths before he was able to speak again. 

“I - I’m not sure. I just - when I was about five years old, give or take, I just... remembered everything. It just hit me one day, and I was a mess for quite a while till I sorted myself out.” He said softly, snorting lightly at the memories. “Scared my parents stiff, with their small firstborn son suddenly babbling and crying in a language they couldn’t understand. They even took me to the temples to see if I was possessed by a demon.” 

Yugi couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. Indeed, Atem’s japanese was a little rough around the edges but was perfectly fluent, memories and experience of his time as Yugi’s other self. 

“It must have been tough.” he said. 

Atem nodded a little. “It was… specially when I finally got myself sorted out and realized I had been reborn. Normally one isn’t supposed to retain their memories of past lives but… I guess I’m a special case.” He said dryly. “Going from - from almost an adult, to a child… I don’t really remember much between - my last memories before remembering myself was our duel.” he said haltingly, as if the topic was tough to talk about. Yugi didn’t blame him. 

“It - I’ve been… trying to save money. To see you. As soon as I could I started doing any jobs I could. But I need to help my family… my - my current mother recently had a baby. My little sister. I have a little sister.” Atem said softly, almost wondrously, and Yugi smiled at the adoration in his voice. 

He went to speak, but Atem continued. “My family… we’re not the worst off, but things aren’t always easy. My father is honorable, and works hard to provide for the family. Half - half of what I earn goes to the family, but it’s not much… my parents are allowing me to save some of what I make, and I’m so grateful. They are good to me, even if I know they’re a bit frightened of me.” He sounded a little sad, but was obviously trying to cover it up. Yugi squeezed him closer, and Atem looked up at him a little shocked, but smiled brilliantly at him briefly before becoming solemn again. 

“There hasn’t been a day gone past that I haven’t wished that I could just… see you again. I miss our friends. I miss duelling.” He said, his expression becoming pained. “I’ve been trying to keep up to date, but duelling news is hard to come by where I live, let alone news of the outside world in general. I have other games to play - well, I did, but nobody plays with me much anymore. I guess people got tired of losing to me…” he said wryly. Yugi scoffed lightly. 

“I still occasionally play against adults and older folk in the streets or in the taverns for some spare change - apparently I can be quite the draw, people wanting to play against this miraculous genius child.” Atem allowed himself a small laugh, and the childlike sound made Yugi’s chest feel tight. 

“I try to keep out of the spotlight though. I know what trouble that can bring.” He grinned, and the grin was just the way he always did, cocky and contagious. Yugi felt his own cheeks stretching in a reply smile. 

Atem sighed and laid his head on Yugi’s shoulder, and Yugi couldn’t have stopped himself from laying his head atop Atem’s if he had tried. The motion was just natural. Comforting. 

It was all too surreal. It’s been so long - years. It’s been years, and Yugi had been over him. Yugi had long since banished the idea of seeing Atem before his time came, and he had made peace with that. He could wait. 

And now suddenly, he was holding a very small reincarnated Atem in his lap. It was all too strange. Too much.

He squeezed his grip around Atem’s middle, and was concerned with how skinny he was. He always knew Atem was small, but even for a child he felt… too small. He suddenly found himself thinking of what to feed Atem to round him out a bit, and had to forcibly stop himself. 

This wasn’t something he could solve just by duelling someone (despite what most duelists think.) This was… Atem had a family. People that cared for him, raised him. He couldn’t just whisk Atem off with him like some artifact bought off the marketplace. Atem wasn’t his. 

That last thought lodged in his throat. Atem wasn’t his anymore. He was his own person, a small one albeit, but one with his own life to live. One that didn’t involve Yugi. 

Yugi found himself squeezing Atem even tighter, and Atem only gave a small noise of distress as he sensed Yugi’s tenseness, wrapping his small skinny arms around Yugi’s neck. 

“I’m sorry, aibou. I’m sorry it took me so long to find you. I was hoping that when I was… older that I’d be able to get back into the duelling scene and fight my way to you.” he said quietly into Yugi’s shoulder, and Yugi felt like crying. 

How long had Atem been looking for him? All the while Yugi had cast him off as good as gone, completely forgetting him in pursuit of his own life. How selfish. 

The two of them sat there entwined for quite a while, just revelling in feeling their heartbeats pressed against each other once more.

 

* * *

 

The first thing his grandfather said when Yugi walked into the hotel room with Atem’s small hand clasped desperately in his, was a rather loud curse word. Not exactly the welcoming Yugi had been hoping for, but he’d take it. 

Atem tried to stand tall and proud, as he always had, but considering he barely rose to Yugi’s hip height it was a bit of a fruitless endeavour. Yugi loved that he still tried though. 

After some sputtered questioning and a round of shouted phone calls, roughly an hour later had the Ishtars standing bewildered in the middle of their hotel room, Atem standing defiant in front of Yugi as if daring them to deny his existence. His eyes weren’t yet as sharp as they used to be, baby fat still rounding out his cheeks, but his glare could still set paper alight. 

Yugi found himself reaching out and taking Atem’s hand once again, and Atem’s fingers wrapped around his tightly. 

“My- My Pharaoh, please forgive us - “ Isis started, but Atem shook his head lightly. 

“Please, I’m not the Pharaoh anymore, and I haven’t been for a long time. Call me Atem.” he said, his sharp gaze softened by his child’s smile. 

“Is Atem your name? I mean, is it the name your current parents gave you?” Malik asked, one hand pinching his chin in thought. His expression remained amused, as if he just couldn’t grasp the thought of his once-pharaoh back from the dead for the second time. 

“No… the name my parents gave me upon birth is Adjo.” Atem said, looking off to the side. 

‘ _Treasure_.’ Yugi translated to himself, and found himself smiling. How fitting for a firstborn son. 

“Would you rather us call you that, My Ph - ah, Atem?” Isis asked, fingers fluttering about her throat, as if the Millennium Tauk was still around her neck. 

“I’d… if I’m in the company of old friends, I’d rather you call me by Atem. It’s - it’s the name I’m more comfortable with. The one I’ve had longer, I guess. But I still accept Adjo.” he said. 

Silence fell about the room, awkward silence. Nobody seemed to know what to say, the Ishtars holding a conversation with one another with their eyes. Yugi just watched, amused. He had made his decision on the whole subject and matter long ago, back in the dusty hot alleyway. 

Sugoroku cleared his throat loudly, all eyes jumping to him as he sat in one of the armchairs, arms crossed over his broad chest. 

“Well then, my boy. How old did you say you were again?” He asked, eyes bright under his bushy eyebrows but expression otherwise unreadable. 

“I’m eight years old.” Atem said, an ashamed note in his voice. He obviously greatly resented how young he was. 

Yugi did the math quickly in his head, dismayed at the conclusion he came to. He was glad Atem was facing away from him, he knew his expression twisted lightly by the way his grandfathered eyed him across the room. 

Malik did the math as well, muttering under his breath. “That means… you were probably reborn not too long after you - after you moved on.” He said, hesitant on how to word the sentence. 

Yugi’s grip on the armchair tightened, but he deliberately left his grip on Atem’s hand relaxed. 

“Yes, I believe so. I was a normal child until I was about five years old, then one day, I just remembered it all.” he said, recounting to the others what he told to Yugi in the alley. 

Yugi sank into the armchair a little more, jaw clenched. All this time - all these years, and Yugi had just… thought he was gone. Accepted it, like he was supposed to. Like he was told. The thought soured his stomach. He’d always felt a little off, like… like he wasn’t supposed to accept it so easily. But the others told him it was all apart of mourning, and that eventually he’d just have to move on from it all. 

After all, that’s what Atem would have wanted of him. 

Oblivious to Yugi’s sinking mood behind him, Atem was deep in conversation with the Ishtars, switching between Japanese and Egyptian Arabic effortlessly. His mannerisms, how he held himself, hell - even his speech pattern was impeccable, a perfect match to how he used to speak in Yugi’s heart. 

But… he was so different. Small, slender, but with obvious promise in his form for how he’d grow. Yugi knew he’d be broad shouldered, still remaining fairly short but with a presence that could fill a room. His voice was a higher pitch than what he remembered, but still so familiar, and Yugi knew it’d drop tremendously as he aged. 

He was so _young_. And Yugi - Yugi was grown. Taller than he was as a teen, but still petite. A solid form, strong shoulders and wiry muscles he was proud of. He wasn’t the little kid Atem had left behind in the Tomb any more. And with the small form of Atem before him, he had never been more aware of his twenty four years of age. 

In his darkest moments he’d toyed with the idea of Atem being reborn, but he’d never taken into consideration that they wouldn’t be the same age anymore. His thoughts always just put Atem the same age as always, at Yugi’s side as his partner. Just the thought that he was senior to the one person he always looked up to, admired, loved. The more experienced one. 

It was utterly drowning. 

Suddenly small hands clapped against Yugi’s cheeks, and Yugi jumped where he’d been slumping in his chair. 

Bewildered purple eyes met worried crimson. Atem, as small as he was, had crawled into  Yugi’s lap to reach his face. Yugi felt his cheeks burn in a blush. 

“Aibou, what’s wrong?” Atem asked, eyebrows drawn down in a worried frown, and the familiar expression on such a childish face nearly made Yugi break right then and there. 

He pulled himself together enough to bring a smile to his face - his display smile, the one he used in front of fans when he was utterly exhausted from travel or stress but didn’t want them to worry. Atem blinked at the expression, and Yugi wondered if he instinctively knew how fake it was. 

“Nothing’s wrong, other - Atem. I’m just a little tired.” he said, drawing his hands up to cover Atem’s own against his cheeks - _so small!_ His mind screamed at him - and pulled them away, shock and light hurt dashing across Atem’s eyes. 

Pulling his gaze from Atem’s own, Yugi was startled to see the other people in the room staring at them with expressions ranging from high amusement to concerned disapproval. Yugi’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and he pulled further away from Atem. 

“So- uh - I remember you saying you haven’t duelled in a long time?” Yugi said with a small waver in his voice - a terrible attempt at changing the conversation, he knew. He also knew Atem knew, the way his tiny eyebrows pulled down in a scowl at Yugi, but miraculously he took the bait.

“No, Duel Monsters cards are a bit hard to come by here. I’ve managed to get a few, gifts from my parents or lucky trades with children - uh… kids my… my age.” Atem said, once again abashed at himself. “But I don’t have enough to make a small deck yet, let alone a working one. They’re mostly just - treasures, at this point.” He said, thumb rubbing against his index finger idly. A small tick he must have developed in this body. 

Yugi chewed on the inside of his lip before Malik stepped forward, grinning lightly as he pulled a worn deck of cards out of his back pocket. 

“Want to play? It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good challenge.” He said, and while Atem’s eyes absolutely glittered, Yugi was surprised. 

“You still duel?” he said, eyebrows high on his forehead. Malik just shrugged one shoulder noncommittally. 

“Obsession and world domination aside, it’s a fun game. Hard to get a challenge like this one in a different game, and Magic the Gathering just isn’t my kind of thing.” he said lightly, grinning as Atem came forward with little hands outstretched, practically begging in a trance. 

While Malik held his deck aloft, grinning widely as he taunted Atem whom was up on his tiptoes trying to reach Malik’s hand (and utterly failing in his reach), Yugi frowned to himself. While he agreed with Malik - not many other card games gave the same kind of challenge he felt, the fact that he hadn’t known that the once Tomb Keeper still played the game, even after still keeping in contact all these years, it was a little unsettling. 

“Augh - jeese just, Yugi! Let him borrow your cards, for Ra’s sake!” Came Malik’s distressed voice, and Yugi refocused to see Atem clinging to Malik like a koala, arms and legs wrapped halfway up Malik’s legs with one hand outreached to the taller man’s aloft one. 

Yugi couldn’t help but sputter out a wild laugh - the sight of his dignified other me clamoring up someone’s legs like a monkey because of something being held out of his reach was hilarious, and lightly terrifying. 

Atem paused in his hijinks to look over at his partner, concerned, but when Yugi wriggled around in his seat to pull his own private deck out of the holster on his hips his concern was replaced with wild excitement, and this time his little hands reached out for Yugi. 

Pausing at the sight - Atem’s wide, childish eyes sparkling in excitement, color high on his tanned cheeks in anticipation. It was a sight he had rarely seen before but had felt pulled onto his own features often when they had shared one body, their identical unrivalled love of a challenge pulsing as one. 

He handed off his cards carefully, Malik helping Atem down from his body - gods, Atem was so _tiny!_ \- making sure Atem had both reverent hands holding his cards in place. 

“It’s been a while since - since our duel, Oth - Atem, and my deck isn’t the same. There’s a lot of new cards, not just in my deck but in the game itself, I don’t know how much you know.” he said cautiously, but he released his grip all the same, and Atem cradled the deck to his chest.

“It’s alright! It’ll make it more fun!” Atem said breathlessly, and his excited grin knocked Yugi for a loop, leaving him to slump back in his armchair bemused while Atem hopped over to the coffee table where Malik was waiting. He knelt down and started sorting through the cards, pausing to read the text on individual cards that caught his eyes, the familiar glint of challenge flickering in his eyes as he already was piecing together a strategy, a formula, no doubt using his knowledge of Yugi’s past decks to work off of. 

Yugi sat there in silence, watching with wide eyes through his fingers as he rested his head in one hand, watching Atem struggle to shuffle Yugi’s deck with his smaller hands but the motion becoming more fluid the more seconds passed, remembering a past life where long fingers used to shuffle cards with effortless grace. 

“Are you okay?” Came a quiet, gruff voice over his shoulder, where his grandfather had soundlessly walked over.

“I don’t know.” Yugi said, utterly honest. He really didn’t know if he was okay.


End file.
